- Joined
- Oct 30, 2003
- Messages
- 18,363
- Location
- Santa Maria, California
- Aircraft
- Givens Predator
- Total Flight Time
- 2600+ in rotorcraft
I work hard every day to make flying gyroplanes safer and collaborate with other flight instructors on what we can do to make it safer.
I agree that the gyroplane accident rate is too high and would prefer lower insurance rates.
I feel I can see the reasons for each of these accidents.
What I don’t know is what to do to improve the gyroplane accident rate.
Looking the eleven accidents reported to the NTSB last year I don’t see a common thread.
To briefly summarize:
A student pilot with 18 hours was flying in in 11kts gusting to 22kts had a hard landing turning base to final. I don’t know what his sign off wind limits were. I typically use 5kts.
A Cavilon with a 915 on its very fist takeoff. The pilot had eighty hours in Cavalons so I doubt more training would have helped. Transition training might have helped.
Two appear to me to be medical issues.
There was another Cavalon crash on takeoff where it appears the pilot tried to rotate at sixty knots by applying aft cyclic. He probably would not have passed his check ride if he didn’t know how to take off. It is a preliminary report so there is no hours shown.
There was a student pilot flying low and had an engine out and did not find a suitable place to land. It appears his landing technique was good.
A student crashed while attempting to land. I feel the student pilot’s report of what happened is revealing:
“The gyroplane pilot reported that during landing, the gyroplane was too high above the runway. He attempted to, "cushion the landing" by forcing the nose up as he, "gunned the engine a couple of times." The fluctuations in torque turned the nose of the gyroplane to the right, and he corrected with a hard-left rudder application. He recalled that the additional thrust from the engine gunning, increased the gyroplanes airspeed.”
There was an MTO Sport who made a landing because his tablet that he was using for navigation failed and was not able to clear the trees on takeoff. Pilot had 199 hours in this make and model.
There was an AR1 who began his takeoff roll at a little over 100 rotor rpm and hit the tail. He had 199 hours in this make and model. He had flown three hours in the last 24 hours.
There was a landing accident in a 1997 RAF with 232 hours on her with an 85 year old pilot who admitted he had not flown in a while.
There was a Parsons two place that appears to be a mechanical failure.
If you see something that could be done to lower the accident rate please share it.
I agree that the gyroplane accident rate is too high and would prefer lower insurance rates.
I feel I can see the reasons for each of these accidents.
What I don’t know is what to do to improve the gyroplane accident rate.
Looking the eleven accidents reported to the NTSB last year I don’t see a common thread.
Query Results Page
www.ntsb.gov
To briefly summarize:
A student pilot with 18 hours was flying in in 11kts gusting to 22kts had a hard landing turning base to final. I don’t know what his sign off wind limits were. I typically use 5kts.
A Cavilon with a 915 on its very fist takeoff. The pilot had eighty hours in Cavalons so I doubt more training would have helped. Transition training might have helped.
Two appear to me to be medical issues.
There was another Cavalon crash on takeoff where it appears the pilot tried to rotate at sixty knots by applying aft cyclic. He probably would not have passed his check ride if he didn’t know how to take off. It is a preliminary report so there is no hours shown.
There was a student pilot flying low and had an engine out and did not find a suitable place to land. It appears his landing technique was good.
A student crashed while attempting to land. I feel the student pilot’s report of what happened is revealing:
“The gyroplane pilot reported that during landing, the gyroplane was too high above the runway. He attempted to, "cushion the landing" by forcing the nose up as he, "gunned the engine a couple of times." The fluctuations in torque turned the nose of the gyroplane to the right, and he corrected with a hard-left rudder application. He recalled that the additional thrust from the engine gunning, increased the gyroplanes airspeed.”
There was an MTO Sport who made a landing because his tablet that he was using for navigation failed and was not able to clear the trees on takeoff. Pilot had 199 hours in this make and model.
There was an AR1 who began his takeoff roll at a little over 100 rotor rpm and hit the tail. He had 199 hours in this make and model. He had flown three hours in the last 24 hours.
There was a landing accident in a 1997 RAF with 232 hours on her with an 85 year old pilot who admitted he had not flown in a while.
There was a Parsons two place that appears to be a mechanical failure.
If you see something that could be done to lower the accident rate please share it.
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